Method for Converting an Intermodal Shipping Container to a Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container and Resulting Product thereof

ABSTRACT

An extended, box-like, metal, industrial size, rapidly deployable, food, medicine and water container employing an intermodal shipping container, or other similar article of manufacture, for safely and reliably transporting and/or storing relatively large quantities of food, medicine and potable water for a substantial period of time (7+days), useful for such delivery/storage in emergencies, disasters, etc. The container includes a potable water tank and compartments for the storage of food and/or medicine.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OF PROGRAM

Not Applicable

SPECIFICATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Steel shipping containers were first used in cargo transportation in U.S.A. in 1956. After more than 40 years development, containers have been used worldwide. Much freight is now shipped overseas in containers of standard sizes; usually eight and one-half (8½) feet high, eight (8) feet wide and twenty (20) or forty (40) feet long, though there exists many more variations of these containers.

These steel or aluminum containers are very strong. However, after use they become uneconomical to use as shipping containers and they are taken out of service. When these used containers are stored at shipping ports they become potential national security risks as attractive sites to place chemical or bomb threats to the United States. The present invention seeks to use the residual characteristics of such used steel or aluminum containers to produce economical containment Transportable Disaster Preparedness Emergency Food, Medicine and Water Supply Containers.

The pictures of Katrina victims are still fresh in the world of disaster preparedness. U.S. citizens holding homemade signs begging for food and water should never have happened. It was demonstrated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a need for a food, medicine and potable water delivery system in a crisis situation that could be put in place in advance of the crisis or be delivered by truck, rail, or helicopter after the crisis occurred. There is a great need for rapidly deployable food, medicine and water supply containers.

The present invention relates to a novel method for converting a steel or aluminum intermodal shipping container to a transportable, disaster-preparedness, Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container. This invention includes the novel container produced by the novel method.

Movement of these containers into a disaster area will be easily and rapidly accomplished using the already in-place system used to move these containers daily in the commerce system. Trains, trucks and trailers are used everyday to move these containers from shipping ports to their delivery points in commerce. No new system of delivery will be required.

This novel invention method takes advantage of the steel or aluminum shipping containers that have been taken out of service or used as one-way transports and can now be converted to Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Containers.

2. Prior Art

No prior art was discovered describing an emergency food, water and medicines container of a size sufficient to assist in a disaster the magnitude of Katrina. No prior art was discovered describing the usage of an intermodal shipping container, or similar item of manufacture, to rapidly transport emergency supplies to a disaster scene. No prior art was discovered discussing the use of intermodal steel or aluminum shipping containers as Transportable Disaster Preparedness Emergency Food, Medicine and Water Supply Containers, and no prior art was discovered teaching the adaptation an intermodal steel or aluminum shipping container to a Transportable Disaster Preparedness Emergency Food, Medicine and Water Supply Container.

3. Objects and Advantages

Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the containment tank described in my above patent, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:

(a) An object of this invention is to provide a novel method for converting an intermodal steel or aluminum shipping container, or other similar article of manufacture, into a Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container by fitting a preformed fiberglass tank into container and compartmentalizing the remaining area of said container. (b) Another object of the invention is to enable lower materials cost and labor resources required to manufacture a Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container. (c) Another object of this invention is to provide a method of the type described including the necessary steps for effecting such manufacture. (d) Another object is to provide a novel Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container having, as its shell, a modified standard steel or aluminum shipping container. (e) Another object is to provide a Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container having a novel construction and design. (f) Another object is to use the residual characteristics of out-of-service steel or aluminum shipping containers, thereby recycling these containers, which containers are available all over the world at low cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention a novel method is disclosed for converting an intermodal steel or aluminum shipping container, or other similar article of manufacture into a Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container. The novel method comprises inserting a preformed potable water containment tank into the interior of an intermodal steel or aluminum shipping container, or other similar article of manufacture, and compartmentalizing the remainder of the container to contain food or other emergency supplies with access doors in top, side or end of container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For a further understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows the intermodal shipping container (1/103) with an opening cut (1/101) to accept the outlet piping of the potable water tank and an opening cut (1/102) to accept the inlet piping of the potable water tank.

FIG. 2 shows an intermodal shipping container with two rear opening doors through which the potable water tank would be inserted.

FIG. 3 shows a potable water tank (3/303) that is to be inserted into container (1/101) with an outlet pipe (3/301) to extend through opening (1/101) and an inlet pipe (3/302) to extend through opening (1/102).

FIG. 4 shows the potable water tank (303) inserted into the container (103) with the tank inlet pipe (302) and tank outlet pipe (301) extending through the end wall of container (103) and a horizontal shelf (401) placed on top of tank (303) and affixed to the walls of container (103) with an optional vertical compartment divider (403) installed above and compartment access doors (402) installed in side and end walls of container (103).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention has a preferred embodiment consisting of an intermodal steel or aluminum shipping container, or other similar article of manufacture that is designed to fulfill the spirit of this invention. Intermodal shipping containers are manufactured in many various designs with the majority having only two rear opening doors. The method for manufacturing the present patent is:

1. According to customer requirements, a fiberglass or other material potable water tank with inlet/outlet piping will be manufactured to specifications; 2. Two holes will be cut into endwall of container for accepting the inlet and outlet connections of potable water tank; 3. Potable water tank will be inserted into container with inlet/outlet piping extending through endwall; 4. Horizontal shelf built on top of tank, permanently affixed to sides of container; 5. According to customer requirements, vertical compartment divider(s) will be constructed on top of horizontal shelf; 6. A minimum of one access door panel installed in side, end or top of container, or; 7. Existing access doors will be used for ingress/egress of food and medical supplies; 8. Food (Meals Ready to Eat, or MRE's) will be loaded into the container; 9. Medicines or other needed supplies will be loaded into the container; 10. The container will then be transported to a predetermined area where needed assistance is anticipated; 11. The container will then be filled with potable drinking water from either a fire-hydrant, fire truck, water hose, or other method; 12. The container is now ready to meet the needs of an emergency. DETAILED DESCRIPTION—ALTERNATIVE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention has a preferred embodiment consisting of an intermodal steel or aluminum shipping container, or other similar article of manufacture that is designed to fulfill the spirit of this invention. Intermodal shipping containers are manufactured in many various designs with the majority having only two rear opening doors. The method for manufacturing the present patent is:

1. According to customer requirements, a fiberglass or other material potable water tank with inlet/outlet piping will be manufactured to specifications, such tank having a top ceiling manufactured sufficiently strong to support additional weight of food and medicines stored above;

2. Two holes will be cut into endwall of container for accepting the inlet and outlet connections of potable water tank; 3. Potable water tank will be inserted into container with inlet/outlet piping extending through endwall; 4. According to customer requirements, vertical compartment divider(s) will be constructed on top of potable water tank; 5. A minimum of one access door panel installed in side, end or top of container, or; 6. Existing access doors will be used for ingress/egress of food and medical supplies; 7. Food (Meals Ready to Eat, or MRE's) will be loaded into the container; 8. Medicines or other needed supplies will be loaded into the container; 9. The container will then be transported to a predetermined area where needed assistance is anticipated; 10. The container will then be filled with potable drinking water from either a fire-hydrant, fire truck, water hose, or other method; 11. The container is now ready to meet the needs of an emergency.

Whereby an inexpensive Rapidly Deployable Emergency Food, Water and Medicines Supply Container is created in a timely manner.

As many changes are possible to the embodiments of this invention utilizing the teachings of the invention, the descriptions above and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not in the limited sense. It is foreseeable that a person wishing to mimic the patent described here would simply order containers resembling an Intermodal Shipping Container from a manufacturer, alter the design so it did not meet the description of an Intermodal Shipping Container, and then claim that the container did not meet the claims above. All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the apparatus and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the apparatus and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. An article of manufacture for containment of liquids, semi-liquids, or solids comprising:
 1. a steel or aluminum, new or used, modified or standard, Intermodal shipping container, or container of like design; a. said container having at least one sealable, closable, access opening in top, end or side of said container;
 2. a fluid tank placed inside the container of claim 1, said tank having inlet/outlet piping for storage and release of fluids; a. said tank constructed from fiberglass, plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic, rubber, or other material;
 3. a horizontal dividing panel placed inside the container of claim 1 and above the fluid tank of claim 2;
 4. alternatively to claim 3, a fluid tank of claim 2 with a reinforced top panel sufficiently strong to support storage weight placed upon it;
 5. said container of claim 1 having customer-specified fittings, flanges, fixtures, panels, compartments, or ports installed. 